


Rest.

by CupCakezys



Series: We Are Not Monsters [7]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Fluff, M/M, Werewolf Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), just let them rest, tired boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-10-10 10:09:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20526275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CupCakezys/pseuds/CupCakezys
Summary: Arthur was exhausted.That wasn’t unusual, not on the day after a full moon. Arthur often found himself dragging his feet the entire day, his duties nothing more than obstacles to his bed. Merlin was no better. Arthur felt guilty, as he always did the day after a full moon, whenever he saw the shadows under Merlin’s eyes. It was when his servant stumbled and almost impaled himself on Arthur’s sword while going to clean it that he decided he had to do something.





	Rest.

He steadied Merlin, gingerly taking the dirty sword and putting it down on the table. “Really Merlin? How can someone with so much magic be this clumsy.”

Merlin pouted, rubbing a hand over his eyes. Arthur thought it was adorable.

“Prat.” He mumbled. “Gaius woke me up early. Had some potions he urgently needed delivered. I feel like I barely got any sleep.” He shot a smirk at Arthur as he sank down into a chair by Arthur’s empty fireplace. “Besides, you’re no better. I saw you trip in that mud puddle during training.”

Arthur flushed. “I didn’t _trip_! It was a _tactical fall_, one that saved me being sliced in half by that ridiculous excuse of a knight.”

Merlin snorted, lit the fire with a wave of his hand, and slumped over the table until he could rest his head on his arms. “Kay isn’t that bad.”

“He sent Bedivere hobbling to Gaius, in need of stitches and a week’s rest three days ago.” Arthur deadpanned.

Merlin tilted his head to look at him. “He’s new.”

Arthur shook his head and started stripping himself of his armour. Merlin stayed where he was, watching through eyes only half open. Arthur struggled with his chainmail for a second, wondering at how on earth anyone ever got out of these things on their own, and then the golden warmth of magic washed over him and his chainmail was flying free of his body to rest next to his sword.

He turned to Merlin, a thank you on his lips, and was greeted with closed eyes and quiet breathing. He smiled even as he shook his head. A glance at his bed and he had already made his decision. He walked over to where Merlin was just barely awake and gently brushed the hair from his face. Merlin leaned into the touch.

“Merlin.” Arthur mumbled and tugged gently on his ear. “Come on, sit up for a second.”

Merlin mumbled and groaned, protesting as Arthur pulled him upright. He sent a pout Arthur’s way, which shouldn’t have worked at all considering Merlin’s eyes were still shut and as such he ended up pouting at the wall. Still, it made Arthur chuckle lightly and grant him some mercy.

“Alright, good enough.” He managed to get one hand behind Merlin’s back and – after some more grumbling – the other under his knees, and lifted.

Merlin squawked and wrapped his arms around Arthur’s neck tightly. “What are you doing!”

Arthur laughed and stumbled over to his bed. Merlin, he found, was heavier than he looked. It probably didn’t help that Arthur was also exhausted.

“Carrying you, obviously.” He arched an eyebrow, trying to be as condescending as he could.

Merlin pinched the back of his neck in mock anger, but the effect was ruined because he placed a messy kiss on Arthur’s jaw a second later in apology. “I’m not a girl. You don’t need to carry me.”

“Says the one that was about to pass out on my table.”

Merlin huffed, but said no more, and he hadn’t _actually _made any attempt to leave Arthur’s hold. Arthur rather suspected he was enjoying himself. He made a note to pick him up like this more often.

“Where are you taking me?” Merlin asked, eyes shut again.

Arthur rolled his eyes and dumped him on the middle of his bed.

Merlin yelled and his eyes flashed golden. Arthur watched as he seemed to float in midair for a moment before he took in his surroundings and realized where he was. He dropped instantly.

He bounced a little, then glared up at Arthur, who was doing nothing to hide his laughter. “I hate you and you’re the worst.”

Arthur laughed harder, then managed to pull himself together enough to pull a semi-serious expression on his face. “And here I was, going to let you laze away in my bed for the rest of the afternoon.” He crawled onto the bed and towards Merlin, who was very suddenly trying to bury himself in pillows and blankets. “But, alas, I am the worst, so I could never do something so unbelievably kind and considerate-“

Merlin giggled and tried to tug the blanket out of Arthur’s hands. “No! I’m sorry! You’re the best, the most wonderful prince in all the kingdoms, please let me nap in your stupidly comfortable bed.”

Arthur pretended to think about it for a moment, while Merlin gazed up at him hopefully, clutching the blanket to his chest. “Very well. But I require payment.”

“Payment?” Merlin relaxed, buried himself deeper into the pillows. “What kind of payment could I possibly give to a prince?”

Arthur hummed. “A kiss should suffice, I think.”

Merlin grinned. “I think that’s fair.”

They stayed where they were for a second longer, then Merlin surged up and placed a quick peck to his cheek. Arthur blinked, and then Merlin was shoving at his chest.

“Alright, there’s your payment, your highness, time to leave your poor, overworked servant to the sleep he rightfully deserves.”

Arthur, for his part, refused to move and growled deep in his throat. “What kind of a kiss was that?”

“What?” Merlin raised an eyebrow, smiling. “It was a kiss. As requested.”

“That.” Arthur whispered, leaning down close to Merlin’s ear. “Was not what I meant.”

Merlin shivered under him, a full-body shake that Arthur felt all the way down to his toes. “O-oh? Then what did you mean?”

Arthur pulled back and locked eyes with his lover. “Allow me to show you.”

He leaned down a little more, eyes on Merlin’s lips and body balanced entirely on his elbows. Merlin sighed the instant their lips touched, and positively _melted _underneath him. Arthur hummed. He kept the kiss light, and pulled back a few seconds later, breath catching at the sight Merlin made beneath him, all wide eyed and red lipped.

He sighed and kissed him again, just a quick press of lips this time. “Get some sleep.”

He went to pull away, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing at his shirt. “You should too.”

Arthur sighed and shook his head. “I can’t. There’s a council meeting in half an hour Father has insisted I listen in on. I can’t miss it.”

Merlin sighed and reluctantly let go. “After?”

Arthur slipped from the bed. “I’ll be all yours.”

Merlin seemed to like that idea, if the grin on his face said anything, and Arthur watched as a yawn was pulled from him. “Try not to fall asleep in the meeting.”

Arthur went to a nearby bowl full of water and grabbed a cloth. A bath would be nice, but he could live without it. He cleaned himself of mud and sweat, and then slipped out of his clothes, grabbing at the clean ones Merlin had lain out for him earlier. Merlin, meanwhile, made himself comfortable. There was the sound of wiggling, and a muttered curse from under the blanket, and then a tunic and pair of boots were dropped to the floor, quickly followed by Merlin’s breeches.

“Sometimes I wonder if my father has figured out a way to sleep with his eyes open.” Arthur mused as he pulled on one of his better pair of trousers. “There’s no way someone could listen to Geoffrey drone on for so long every day and _not_ fall asleep.”

There was a sleepy snort from his pillows. “Or Leon talk about grain.”

Arthur groaned. Leon was a great knight and friend, but there were times when Arthur had been sorely tempted to run him through for going on for so long during council meetings. Merlin laughed.

“I think there’s something wrong with him.” Arthur said as he pulled his tunic on. “The amount of detail he has about grain can’t be healthy.”

He walked back to Merlin’s side and sat down. Merlin had curled up around Arthur’s largest pillow, eyes closed and a sleepy smile on his face. He looked beautiful. Arthur quickly finished tying up his shoes and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“I’ll be back soon.” He whispered.

He stood and turned to go, only for Merlin’s hand to snake out and stop him. It squeezed him slightly.

“Don’t take too long.” Merlin breathed, more into his pillow than anything.

Arthur smiled and tucked Merlin’s hand back under the blanket. “I won’t.”

He quietly slipped from the room.

The council meeting was, as predicted, mind-numbingly boring. Arthur struggled to stay awake, and he heard nothing of what the councilmen were saying. Still, he managed to stay awake, even if he dozed lightly here and there. It only really got bad when he was called upon to answer an enquire, and he had to scramble to figure out an answer to a question he hadn’t even heard.

Lord Velmir didn’t seem to mind repeating himself, but Arthur caught the look his father sent him and fought not to sink down in his chair. At least his answer seemed to please everyone present.

It was another hour before council was dismissed, and Arthur all but bolted from the room. He wasn’t going to wait around for his father to scold him for nodding off during the meeting. Hopefully by tomorrow he would have forgotten all about it.

It was a small hope, but Arthur held onto it all the same.

He dodged servants and nobles alike as he made his way back to his chambers. Most people got out of his way, but with the preparations for the feast in a few nights underway, it was difficult to navigate the halls. Still, before long he was standing in front of his door, huffing a bit from the exertion.

Arthur slowly pushed the door to his chambers open. The fire was still burning, warming the room nicely. Arthur smiled and relaxed, pushing the door shut behind him as he moved from the door. He hummed to himself, loosening the strings on his tunic a little as he walked to his bed.

Merlin was still asleep. He smiled as he watched him, just for a moment, indulging himself. It wasn’t often that he got to see Merlin sleeping. He looked younger, and smaller, curled up on Arthur’s huge bed. There was nothing of the powerful warlock in that moment, but then, Arthur doubted he looked like a noble prince while asleep and, as Merlin liked to put it, snoring loud enough to wake the lower town.

Arthur snorted. Preposterous. He didn’t snore – Morgana surely would have teased him about it by now if he did.

He moved near silently to the bedside. He hesitated to sit down, but Merlin was usually a heavy sleeper. He shouldn’t wake. Sure enough, he only huffed slightly in his sleep and turned, so that he was facing Arthur. He smiled and brought a hand down to brush a bit of hair out of his eyes, maybe wake him with a tender kiss to the forehead. It was romantic, according to the many woman he had heard chatting in the halls. He leaned down, hand hovering over Merlin’s face.

Then he heard his door open.

He stood from the bed and spun around, his heart beating far too fast. His father stood in the doorway. He gulped and absolutely _refused_ to glance down at Merlin.

“Father.” He said and stepped around the bed so he could face him directly.

The king was staring at his bed, and the worst part was, he didn’t even look _surprised_, just mildly uncomfortable. Arthur gulped. Had they been so indiscreet? Who else knew? Did they know of Merlin’s importance, or just think him a convenient body for the prince to use?

“Arthur. I wanted to discuss your behaviour in council today.” His father said, his eyes glancing at Arthur’s bed and the lump that was very clearly Merlin. “It was unacceptable. As a king you must pay attention to your lords, no matter how… tedious it may be.” His eyes glanced at Merlin again. “Or how drained you are.”

Arthur flushed. “Of course Father. I understand. It won’t happen again.”

His father merely nodded. “See that it doesn’t.”

Arthur thought that was it. He thought his father would leave, wouldn’t comment past what he had already. He should have known better. They’d been too lucky lately.

“And Arthur.” Arthur stiffened as his father stopped just in front of the door. “I expect _this_-“ he looked meaningfully at the bed. “-not to further interfere with your duties. Such... _activities_ should be kept for after nightfall.”

“Yes Father.” Arthur wasn’t sure if it was possible to be more embarrassed than he was in that moment.

“And make sure your… explorations do not extend to any of the other servants. I will not risk having any rumours running around, or any bastards.”

Arthur groaned internally. “Yes Father.”

“Good.” His father nodded and left.

Arthur finally let lose his groan and buried his head in his hands.

“Did he just approve of me?”

Arthur snorted and turned his head to Merlin. “More like he approved of you not being able to get pregnant.” He sank down onto the end of the bed. “Was that really all you got out of that?”

Merlin shifted and sat up, the blanket pooling around his hips. “Did you fall asleep during the council meeting?”

Arthur flushed again. “No!” Merlin raised an eyebrow at him. Arthur resisted for all of five seconds before he caved. “I was dozing, not sleeping.”

Merlin laughed. “You fell asleep!”

“So did you!” He protested.

“Yes, but I’m not the Crown Prince.” If he was more awake, Merlin would probably be vibrating with glee. “Who was serving you? I _have _to know exactly what happened.”

“Merlin!” Arthur shook his head. “I’m not telling you, you gossip!”

“I’ll just ask the other servants. Cook might tell me. I haven’t snatched anything from the kitchens lately.”

Arthur toed off his shoes and crawled up the bed until he was right in front of Merlin’s face. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Oh, am I?” Merlin raised an eyebrow and leaned back.

They stared at each other for a moment before they both fell into giggles. Arthur collapsed into Merlin’s lap and wrapped his arms around his hips. Merlin’s hand found its way into his hair and he relaxed into the touch. Merlin hummed and started messing with his hair. Arthur suspected he was braiding it.

He didn’t move.

“He thinks you’re just a bedwarmer.” Arthur said.

The humming stopped. “I think that might be for the best.”

Arthur hugged him tighter, pressed a kiss to his hip. “You’re not just a bedwarmer.”

“I know.” He could hear the smile in Merlin’s voice. “I love you too.”

Arthur hummed happily in response, content.

**Author's Note:**

> Whoever can guess what’s going to happen in the next installment gets a cookie. I’ll give you a hint - it’s titled ‘Accusations’.


End file.
